DOJ wants $738K for officer-involved death probes

WAUKESHA — The state Department of Justice is asking Gov. Scott Walker for an additional $738,600 to cover investigating local officer-involved deaths.

The agency submitted its 2015-17 budget request to Walker on Monday.

Wisconsin legislators passed a law earlier this year that requires police departments to let outside agencies run probes into officer-involved deaths. Since the law has passed, agencies have turned to DOJ to handle the investigations.

The budget request states that the agency received requests to lead five investigations in the first month after the law was passed and has received notification from 30 police departments, including Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay, that they plan to use DOJ.

The extra money would fund three agents and two analysts who would handle such probes.